ttps://musicfarmers.com/collections/label Music Farmers Label The Proton Energy Pills were an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

punk rock band formed in the city of

Wollongong Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near wate ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

in 1986. The band released two vinyl

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

and a vinyl EP in its time and is considered a very seminal and influential group as its members went on to play in many successful Australian bands over the next 25 years.

History

Australian

Musicologist Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...

Ian McFarlane Ian McFarlane (born 1959) is an Australian music journalist, music historian and author, whose best known publication is the '' Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop'' (1999), which was updated for a second edition in 2017. As a journalist ...

writes that "The Proton Energy Pills comprised Dave Curley (vocals), Lenny Curley (guitar), Jay Curley (bass), Stewy Leadfinger Cunningham (guitar) and Richie Lewis (drums). Proton Energy Pills derived their name from American cartoon series

Roger Ramjet ''Roger Ramjet'' is a 1965–1969 American animated television series, starring Roger Ramjet and the American Eagle Squadron. The show was known for its simple animation, frenetic pace, and frequent references to pop culture which appealed to a ...

(the proton energy pills gave Ramjet his extraordinary strength). The band played a form of heavy retro-grunge that drew on US bands like Blue Oyster Cult, MC5 and Mudhoney for inspiration. Local bands that the Pills aspired to included Radio Birdman, The Celibate Rifles and The New Christs. Sydney independent label Waterfront issued two Proton Energy Pills singles, `Survival'/`Symmetry' (September 1989) and `(Less than I) Spend'/`Strawberry Patch' (March 1990), and the mini-album Proton Energy Pills(September 1990)." The band formed whilst most of its members were at school in Wollongong and learnt how to play at parties covering their favourite songs by bands like

The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

The Stooges The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave ...

, Flamin Groovies and

Radio Birdman Radio Birdman is an Australian punk rock band formed by Deniz Tek and Rob Younger in Sydney in 1974. The group influenced the work of many successful, mainstream bands, and are now considered instrumental in Australia's musical growth. Hist ...

. Their first gig took place on 15 August 1987 at the Wollongong Ironworkers Club and the band became known for their long hair and super distorted sounds. Later the band would start to play in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

more regularly and would take on

Steve Pavlovic Stephen Pavlovic (born 1966) is an Australian music entrepreneur. Pavlovic began promoting music tours, events and concerts in 1990. Since then he has toured influential artist including Nirvana, Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth, Beck, Foo Fighters, ...

as their manager and sign with

Waterfront Records Waterfront Records was an independent record label based in Sydney that released recordings by Australian bands during the 1980s and 1990s. History Waterfront records was started in 1982 by Steven Stavrakis who at the time was an employee of ...

and release two influential 7" singles. The Proton Energy Pills supported for

Dinosaur Jr Dinosaur Jr. is an American rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1984, originally simply called Dinosaur until legal issues forced a change in name. The band was founded by J Mascis (guitar, vocals, primary songwriter), Lou Barlow ...

on NSW and Victorian legs their first Australian tour in 1989 and

J Mascis Joseph Donald Mascis Jr. ( ; born December 10, 1965), better known as J Mascis, is an American musician who is the singer, guitarist and main songwriter for the alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. He has also released several albums as a solo art ...

produced the A-side of the Protons second single - a song called Less than I Spend. Both singles sold very well and made it to the top of the Sydney Independent Charts at the time. The band also scored the Australian tour support for US band

Mudhoney Mudhoney is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1988, following the demise of Green River. Its members are singer and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Guy Maddison and drummer Dan Peters. Orig ...

in their first visit to Australia in early 1990. Proton Energy Pills also played with P.I.L.,

The Buzzcocks Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton, England in 1976 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto. They are regarded as a seminal influence on the Manchester music scene, the independen ...

Rollins Band Rollins Band was an American rock band formed in Van Nuys, California. The band was active from 1987 to 2006 and was led by former Black Flag vocalist Henry Rollins. They are best known for the songs "Low Self Opinion" and " Liar", which both e ...

and

The Hoodoo Gurus Hoodoo Gurus are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1981, by the mainstay Dave Faulkner (songwriter, lead singer and guitarist) and later joined by Richard Grossman (bass), Mark Kingsmill (drums), and Brad Shepherd (guitar, vocals, ha ...

and supported many of their local heroes including

The Celibate Rifles The Celibate Rifles were an Australian punk rock band which formed in 1979 with a line-up that included mainstays Dave Morris on rhythm guitar and Kent Steedman on lead guitar, within a year they were joined by Damien Lovelock on lead vocals. T ...

The Hitmen The Hitmen are an Australian hard rock band formed in November 1977 by long-term members, Johnny Kannis on lead vocals and Chris Masuak on lead guitar as Johnny and the Hitmen. The group went through numerous line up changes in its first run ...

Hard-ons The Hard-Ons are an Australian punk rock band, which formed in 1982 in Punchbowl, New South Wales. Its founding members were Keish de Silva on lead vocals and drums, Peter "Blackie" Black on guitar and backing vocals, and Ray Ahn on bass guit ...

and

Lime Spiders Lime Spiders were an Australian punk rock band which formed in 1979 with Mick Blood on lead vocals. He was later joined by Tony Bambach on bass guitar, Gerard Corben on guitar, Richard Lawson on drums, and David Sparks on guitar. Their debut ...

. The Protons disbanded in mid-1990 citing musical differences after the recording of a five-track 12" EP at Sydney's Electric Avenue Studios with

Phil Punch Phil may refer to: * Phil (given name), a shortened version of masculine and feminine names * Phill, a given name also spelled "Phil" * Phil, Kentucky, United States * ''Phil'' (film), a 2019 film * -phil-, a lexical fragment, used as a root ter ...

and Kent Steedman from the

Celibate Rifles The Celibate Rifles were an Australian punk rock band which formed in 1979 with a line-up that included mainstays Dave Morris on rhythm guitar and Kent Steedman on lead guitar, within a year they were joined by Damien Lovelock on lead vocals. T ...

producing.

Postscript

Following the split of the band, members of the Proton Energy Pills went on to play in many successful bands including Brother Brick, Zambian Goatherders,

Tumbleweed A tumbleweed is a structural part of the above-ground anatomy of a number of species of plants. It is a diaspore that, once mature and dry, detaches from its root or stem and rolls due to the force of the wind. In most such species, the tumble ...

, Leadfinger, Asteroid B-612 and Challenger-7, The Yes-Men, Richie & the Creeps, Brut 66 and The Pink Fits. Despite their limited output, the significance of the band would come to light in hindsight and they came to be considered a pre-grunge seminal act that paved the way for an 'unearthing' of underground rock in Australia in the 1990s. In their hometown of Wollongong, 'the Protons' (as they are known) played many all-ages gigs mostly due to the philosophy of frontman David Curley who in his role as youth social worker with Wollongong Council was very committed to engaging the region's youth in music and art. As a result, the band are revered for inspiring many young people to pick up instruments and form bands. In 2007, Spanish Label

Bang! Records Bang! Records is a Spanish label from Basque Country formed in 1998 by Gorka Munster and Juan-Mari Iturrarte. The label has a primary focus on artists from Melbourne, Australia and New York City's swamp, noise and punk blues music scene. Acts ...

released a gatefold CD retrospective of the band's music including extensive liner notes on the band's history and impact. The band also featured on Tales From the Australian Underground retrospective which was released in 2006 o
Feel Presents Record Label
the following quote on the significance of The Proton Energy Pills is taken from that release: ''The Proton Energy Pills were an allegiance of brothers Jay, Lenny and Dave Curley and schoolyard friends Richard (Richie) Lewis and Stewart Cunningham. At the helm was Stewart, a whiz kid guitarist and gifted songwriter who, along with singer and eldest brother Dave, wrote nearly all the band's material including Less Than I Spend(Waterfront, March 1990) the band’s second single. Produced by J Mascis (the singer/guitarist for proto grunge group Dinosaur Jr) and featuring Bill Gibson (the one time backing vocalist for the Lime Spiders and The Eastern Dark), “Less Than I Spend” by The Proton Energy Pills is a terrific track. Arguably the last great 7” in a lineage of Australian rock’n’roll that had dated right back to Radio Birdman and their landmark November 1976 release Burn My Eye. Internal friction however meant that the band would only add a mini-album to their catalogue before Stewart decided to leave the band. Jay, Lenny and Richie would then go on to form and garner much success with Tumbleweed, while Stewart did his time with Brother Brick

and Asteroid B-612.'' In March 2021, Wollongong based record labe
Music Farmers
re-issued the studio recordings of The Proton Energy Pills on deluxe gatefold 12" vinyl LP. The record made an appearance on the ARIA vinyl sales chart at #11 on 22 March 2021.

Discography

* Survival/Symmetry 7" single 1989

* Less Than I Spend/Strawberry Patch 7" single 1990

* Proton Energy Pills S/T 12" EP 1990

* Rocket to Tarrawanna CD Album 2007

* The Proton Energy Pills Vinyl LP Album 202
Music Farmers Records
''Compilations'' *Skate Hard Compilation 1990 track "Symmetry"

Festival Records Festival Records (later known as Festival Mushroom Records) was an Australian recording and publishing company founded in Sydney, Australia, in 1952 and operated until 2005. Festival was a wholly owned subsidiary of News Limited from 1961 to ...

*Tales from the Australian Underground Vol 2 200
Feel Presents Records

References

General

* Note: Archived n-linecopy has limited functionality.

Specific

External links

* http://www.steelcitysound.net/2010/09/proton-energy-pills-1986-1990.html * http://www.leadfinger.com.au/ * http://sonsofthedolls.blogspot.com.au/2011/09/brother-brick-portable-altamont.html * http://pop_on_top.tripod.com/vale.html * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE5UjFvLQ_4 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kzWQYHAO0Q * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxkTlFPDU18 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kzWQYHAO0Q {{DEFAULTSORT:Proton Energy Pills, The Musical groups established in 1986 New South Wales musical groups Australian punk rock groups Australian indie rock groupsbr>Music Farmers Label
The Proton Energy Pills were an